So.cl – New Social Network Developed By Microsoft’s FUSE Labs

Microsoft launched new social network only for students. Its name so.cl or pronounced “social“. It has same features like Facebook & Google Plus. You can communicate with each other. The special feature is education features which we don’t see in other sites. To encourage interaction and collaboration, So.cl provides rich media sharing, and real time sharing of videos via “video parties.”

This site is still in beta version. It is developed by Microsoft’s FUSE (Future Social Experience) Labs. The authority said it would be helpful for students. Students can log in from Facebook account too.

We are formally partnering with selected schools (including University of Washington, Syracuse University, and New York University).

However, anyone can participate in the FUSE Labs research community as several of our experiments are available for use on the web. For those who wish to be more involved with FUSE, please e-mail Socl@microsoft.com.

In So.cl, how do I share a search?

By default, searches in So.cl are shared publicly. As students work together, they often search for the same items, and discover new shared interests by sharing links. We see this trend today on many social networks, such as Twitter, where shared links spread viral and amplify popular content. So.cl experiments with this concept by automatically sharing links as you search. The So.cl search experience is powered by Bing, and we use the public Bing API’s to display search result data.

How does So.cl work?

The So.cl search experience is powered by Bing; we use the public Bing APIs to display search result data. As students work together, they often look for the same content, and discover new shared interests by sharing results. These results can be web pages, images, or videos found through Bing. We see this trend today on many social networks, such as Twitter, where shared links spread virally and amplify popular content. So.cl experiments with this concept by letting you easily share links as you search.

In So.cl, how do I create a rich post?

So.cl makes it easy to create a beautiful post you’re proud to share. Just find interesting images and links on the web, and So.cl helps you assemble them automatically into a compelling visual montage.

In So.cl, what is a video party?

Students spend time sharing videos. So.cl extends this concept by making it easy to share video parties, with So.cl friends who are online. Video parties let you search, and quickly assemble a list of movies to view together with friends. You can view any existing party collection created by any other So.cl user, or create your own, and easily chat with other So.cl users.

Is So.cl data public?

Yes. Unless you mark it as “private”, your search results, and any other data you post to So.cl may be viewed by all other So.cl users. In addition, we will make data that was publicly posted on So.cl broadly available for use by other entities and individuals.

Public data enables new types of research and experimentation, a primary goal for So.cl.

Can I delete my data in So.cl?

Yes. You have options ranging from deleting a single item, search or post, to deleting all your history, or your entire account. The data you have deleted, however, may have been included in data sets shared with third parties. Deletion of your data from So.cl will not delete entries from such data sets.

Does my So.cl data appear on Facebook?

So.cl uses Facebook authentication, which means you use your Facebook account to log in, and your name and profile picture from Facebook appear in So.cl.

By default we do not post any content from So.cl into your Facebook stream. If you choose, you can post content to Facebook using the share to Facebook feature in So.cl.

Why haven’t you added features commonly used in social networking and search sites such as: Facebook, Twitter, Bing, or Google?

So.cl is not meant to replace existing full-featured search and social networking tools. It is an experimental research project using a minimal set of features which help combine search with the social network for the purpose of learning.

Why is it targeting students?

We feel that students are the best audience to evolve and discover more about the future of online social behavior. We have been amazed by the number of courses at universities that focus on using social networking and search tools to exchange information, particularly in the Information Schools within universities.

I agree with you. They are researching this new network in the university level first then they will start with bigger plan. It is sure Microsoft is going to launch new social network 🙂Ahsan@Tech Desighn recently posted…Add Scientific Calculator In Google Chrome Browser